‘Game-changing’ finger food for people with dementia

Apetito’s Finger Food Bites will enable care homes to provide a positive, inclusive, dining experience for residents who are living with dementia.

For the first time, residents that live with dementia or co-ordination difficulties can feed themselves nutritionally balanced meals in one bite without having to struggle to manipulate cutlery.

Finger Foods Bites allow residents the freedom to pick up and put down a complete hot meal with no mess and with minimal residue left on fingers. Furthermore, Finger Food Bites can be enjoyed whilst sitting down, or if a resident is ‘on the move’.

The range features 12 dishes including six Finger Food Bite and six Classic Finger Foods. Finger Food Bites include chicken and mushroom casserole, ham and leek, chicken tikka, sausage casserole, salmon supreme and veggie bolognaise.

The six Classic Finger Foods are chicken goujons, fish goujons, chicken fillets and stuffing, pork meatballs, chipolatas, and omelettes.

Importantly, care homes can choose from a selection that includes plant-based meals as well as healthier choice, and gluten-free options.

Calling on its 60 years’ experience of ‘making mealtimes matter’, apetito, which partners with over 600 care homes across the nation, says the new range was many years in the making.

Care homes divisional lead for apetito, Richard Woodward said: ‘Our development chefs embraced world leading technology to ensure the quality of the meals met our high standards of taste, texture and flavours and in this respect, the team has truly ‘led the way’.

‘The elements of Finger Food Bites are cleverly designed and created so they melt in the mouth. Each ‘Bite’ encapsulates the flavours of a traditional meal and for the very first time, this innovative new range will allow residents living with dementia to enjoy feeding themselves, with no mess and with tasty meal options. It’s a real game-changer for care homes and their residents.

‘We’re hugely excited by the range and see this as a key part of a nutritional strategy for a care home to overcome difficulties using cutlery and delay the need for assisted feeding.

‘It takes time to manage menu planning and deliver a great dining experience, whilst catering for allergies, specialist dietary requirements and whilst giving support to those residents experiencing co-ordination difficulties, and importantly ensuring the ongoing design of a nutritious, balanced, and appetising menu.

‘Mealtimes can be a real challenge for care homes in delivering a quality dining experience for those living with dementia. Residents can lose concentration, forget to eat and drink, and struggle to use cutlery or cups. The resulting potential loss of nutrition is also a factor for concern.

‘Food is one of life’s simple pleasures and we strongly believe (as do all the care homes that we work with) that residents should all be able to enjoy dining with dignity with meals they can look forward to eating.’

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Photo Credit – apetito